Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

GEORGE GROSS, OF BUFFALO, NE YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. L14.302, dated September 20, 1864.

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE Guess, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Im provenients in Water-Vheels and Running the Millstones on the same Shaft; and I do hereby declare that thefollowin g is a full and exact descziption thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

'lhe nature of my invention consists in a hollow perforated and Vertical shaft, in combination with the adjustable socket and bearing, with the millstones on top of the shaft, oil-tube for the toe, also a water-guide on the inside nf the scroll.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its c0n struction and operation.

Figure l represents a side elevation. Fig. 2- shows the shape of the scroll. Fig. 3 represents the water-wheel; Fig. 4, the shaft and sleeves; Fig. 5, the upper part of shaft or spindle, with its socket; Fig. 6, the square box in which the socket operates and is adjusted.

A represents the shaft or spindle, upon the top of which I propose to place and fasten the millstones B B. The lower millstone B is stationary. and rests upon a cross-beam, C. lhis beam is supported at each end by uprights D. The spindle A operates near the center of the beam C, and rests in the top of alower shaft, E. The second cross-beam or bridge-tree, G, is adjustable, and also rests in uprights D in slots in the uprights, so as to be adjusted in raising and lowering the upper inillstone. This bridge-tree G has an adjustable square-sided box, H, concave in the center, with two set-screws, I-one at each side-and four apertures, J, at the opposite sides, for the purpose of inserting keys to move the box H and adjust it to the right or left side. p

The set-screws are for the purpose of adjusting the inside adjustable socket and bearing, K, which is slightly concave at top and convex underneath, with two semicircular sides, L, in which the set-screws I operate, for the purpose of adjusting the socket K back or forward in opposite directions, to the keys, while the seinicircular sides L are allowed to rock or play from right to left, for the purpose of keeping the spindle in its true vertical position and preventing the weight of the millstone from resting 0n the wheel or toe, so as to avoid the raising or lowering the wheel M or step N in raising or lowering the millstone. The seinicircular sides L rest and play in corresponding grooves of the box H. The socket K is concave at top, so as to hold oil sufficent to lubricate the socket on tl e under side ofthe collar P, which collar is permanently tight on the spindle A, and is made of steel 0r hard metal,- the oil being conducted to the under side of the collar l and spindle A by small channels or ducts iu the socket andV holes in the collar P. rI he socket K is made of castiron, and the center of the socket, near the collar ofthe spindle, is to be 0f chilled iron or steel, or of suitable metal, and lled with Babbitt or other suitable metal around the spindle A. The socket K is thus a double adjustable bearing-viz: one for the collar P on the spindle, and the other the inside of the socket around the spindle. The collar P is concave next to the spindle, and the center ofthe socketK is slightly raised to prevent the escape of the oil. The spindle A is square at the lower end, and fits into the top ofthe upper end of the hollow shaft E, so as to be adjustable in raising or lowering the millstone. The shaft E is hollow, and has apertures R above the wheel and just below the upper cap, S, and the bottom of the waterwheel M, for the purpose oflettin g the air pass in or out of the scroll U and the wheel M, as required. This hollow-shaft E has an oil-tube, V, extending through the hollow from above the wheel M into the eoncavity of the lower end of the shaft E, (and around which and the step or toe N Babbitt or other metal is put,) for the purpose of lubricating the step N and concave.

Xare two sleeves on the hollow-shaft E-one at top and the other at bottom of wheel M-for the usual purpose of keying and truing the wheel and raising the wheel without disturbing the shaft or gearing.

Z is the cylinder of the wheel vM, having slatted apertures a at top, for the purpose of getting the hands in to fasten or unfasten the bolts and for filling in or removing gravel to form abalance-wheel, and the top has a flan ge that projects over the cylinder the width ofthe buckets I). The flange prevents the pressure and friction of the water against the upper cap, S, ofthe wheel,and the cap prevents the leakage of water above. The upper one-half ofthe bucket is straight, and sets onto the cylinder Z square and perpendicular. The back part is incline, and the lower halt' is angular. The buckets b are bolted onto the cylinder Z and nuttcd on the inside ot' the cylinder, so that the face and back part of the buckets are left smooth7 free from bolt-heads or nuts and backlash of water. I make the bucketssay, for instance, on a medium-sized wheelthat is, two feet in diameter and the depth of the cylinder twelveinches, the upper half and perpendicular face of the buckets eight inches in length7 and the incline or back part three inches wide at top. The length of the lower part of the bucket is also eight inches, extending to the lower part ot' the cylinder, including the thickness ot' the bucket, while the width of the bucket from top to bottom is three inches.

c represents the mouth ot' the scroll d, which has a square rim, e, slightly flaring, to admit a spout, giving a close joint and smooth inner iurt'ace. The scroll d has a lower and narrow rim, g, beneath, the same size ofthe inside otl the scroll, for the purpose of confining and contractin g the water so as to prevent its too free discharge, that the water may have a-continnous pi essure upon the lower part ofthe bucket as well as the upper part, and prevent the pressure or obstruction of the wheel from the outside. On the inside of the scroll d an angular or inclined projection, f, near the terminus ot the scroll, forms a narrower or shorti r space between the scroll and the wheel M, which is a 'water-guide and cut-ofi', directing the water downward to the lower corner of the throat of the scroll, and secures all the weight and pressure of the water upon the lower end of the buckets ofthe wheel as a motive power. The water strikes the bucket three-fourths its width, and the lower half ot' the bucket extends from one-sixth to oneeighth round the cylinder.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Th L arrangement and combination of the hollow perforated and vertical shaft, with its collar P, and its cavity at the lower end tilled with Babbitt or other metal, its adjustable socket K, oiltube and sleeves X, and millstones at top of shaft, when arranged and cornbined as herein described, and for the 1 urposes set forth. y r

2. The construction and combination of the adjustable socket K, with its box H, as described, and for the purposes set fortl.

3. The inclined projection f on the inside of the scroll, for the purpose set forth.

4L. rlhe angular construction of the buckets b of thc wheel, as herein described.

GEORGE GROSS. Witnesses:

J. FRANKLIN RniGAR'r, L. LUCI'Is. 

